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Many businesses across the United States experience fluctuations in sales throughout the year. These companies are known to have seasonal business, a status that is determined by the type of product or service offered and the time of year in which that product or service is sought after by the general public.

If you’re running a seasonal business, cash flow lessens certain times of the year, but your business expenses do not. You need overhead to stock your inventory, hire seasonal personnel, and most importantly, keep the lights on. In addition, vendors require payment at the end of the season, when your working capital is significantly less.

The question is – how can your seasonal businesses remain profitable? The answer – seasonal business financing. These short-term business loans provide a number of benefits to seasonal businesses, including:

Managing and projecting cash flow throughout the fiscal year is simpler. Contrary to popular belief, a business’s off time still requires money to keep the operation afloat. A company’s down time is ideal for having maintenance done on equipment, restocking inventory, and upgrading materials, all of which cost money. Seasonal loans make up for the lack of income generation and allow for more accurate cash flow forecasts.

Dealing with emergencies becomes less stressful. Natural disasters, Acts of God, and accidents happen. Seasonal businesses are susceptible to this fact, and seasonal loans can prove vital for these companies to have some amount of money on hand that can cover emergency expenses during the off season.

Payback is less detrimental. Traditional bank loans require steady monthly payments, something that seasonal business owners cannot afford to do with a lack of income. With a seasonal loan, you can choose the option that best fits your ability to pay the bank back:

Term Loan: Like a mortgage, you borrow a certain amount and agree to pay it back over a set period of time, with interest charged at a variable or fixed rate.

Working Capital Loan: This option allows you to maintain cash flow, but often require repayment in a shorter period of time.

Merchant Cash Advance: For businesses that accept credit and debit cards, you may borrow against your future receipts and commit to paying a percentage of your daily credit and debit sales. Interest payments are often fairly high in this repayment plan.

Business remains booming. Seasonal business loans can be used for a multitude of purposes, expanding on your product or service offerings, hiring more staff, or handling emergencies and unexpected expenses.

Whether you own a nursery or run a snow plowing operation, Liberty Financial can help you obtain the financial support your seasonal business needs. Contact us today for more information.

If you run a commercial operation that requires heavy lifting, a commercial vehicle can help. You might think that purchasing a commercial vehicle is handled in the same way as purchasing a personal vehicle, but a few other factors fall into the process. Learn more about purchasing a commercial vehicle and how a loan from Liberty Financial can help you achieve your business goals.

Commercial vehicles are expensive. For this reason, it’s extremely common to take out a loan in order to get your operation up and running quickly and efficiently. To obtain a commercial vehicle loan, you must first know which type of truck you are trying to finance. Different trucks have different rules and qualifications, making it important to be are aware of whether your vehicle is considered a transportation vehicle or a vocational truck.

Next, you’ll need to consider is a down payment. To determine how much you will need to put down on a truck, look at how long you’ve been in business, your credit score, whether you’re the owner/operator, who you are buying from, any cash reserves you may have, and the age of the truck to be purchased. Where you fall in each of the categories will determine how much or little you will have to put down. If you or your company poses some type of risk, the down payment can increase.

To give yourself a better idea of your financial standing, some good questions to ask yourself are:

Have I been in been business for at least two years?

Is my credit score better than 600?

Have I ever filed for bankruptcy?

The answers to these questions will give you a better idea of whether or not you’ll qualify for a commercial vehicle loan.

It’s harder for new business owners to qualify for a commercial vehicle loan rather than for someone who’s been around and experienced some of the challenges involved. With that being said, a low credit score doesn’t immediately take you out of the running. Your credit score helps the company decide what your monthly payment is going to be, not whether or not you will qualify.

Age does matter when it comes to obtaining commercial vehicle loan. The older the truck, the more likely it is to break down and become a liability. Keep in mind that just because a vehicle may be cheaper, it doesn’t mean it will be worth the buy. Most companies are hesitant about approving a loan on a truck over 15 years old. To be safe, look for trucks 10 years old or less.

There is one aspect of running a business that you cannot avoid, particularly in the commercial industries. Businesses that require commercial machinery also require investments in the form of time, resources, and money. Most often, these business owners rely on loans or financing to cover the cost of the equipment needed to turn a profit.

Whether you are a startup founder looking to stock up your company with the bare necessities, or a well-known business owner wanting to replace your outdated supplies. Typically, banks use a credit score to determine whether or not a person is a dependable borrower. If you are a business owner with a low credit score, you may have a tough time being approved for a loan and obtaining the equipment you need to do business.

Liberty Financial wants you to know that you can still apply for a loan to finance business equipment with bad credit. Here’s how:

Apply with a co-signer. If you have poor credit, the first thing you should do when applying for an equipment loan or financing is to try to find a credible co-signer. If you default on your payments, it then becomes the responsibility of your co-signer to pay what is due.

Offer collateral. If you aren’t able to find a suitable co-signer, offering up collateral can help. Your collateral could come in many forms, including your property or any assets you have that are worth monetary value. These are used in exchange for a loan and as such, allow a lender to feel more secure in offering you financing. If you fail in making your payments as promised, they are able to seize your possessions.

Put down a large deposit. In an effort to look better to lenders, put down a larger down payment or security deposit. Doing so reduces the loan by a sizeable amount and will make the lender feel more secure about loaning the money. Only do so if you have the funds; if you put down too much up front and aren’t able to pay your monthly fee, it could have an adverse effect.

Show off your assets. If your business is already thriving and has started to turn a profit, use that information in your “pitch” to your lender. When you apply for a loan, show documented proof of such to your lender, as well as any sale projections or expected company growth. The better your company looks on paper, the easier it will be to obtain a loan for equipment.

Commercial business owners need equipment. If you’re a business owner with a low credit score, it doesn’t have to stop you from being able to afford the equipment you need to be successful. These tips will help give you the best chance at being approved for a business loan, regardless of your credit.

Starting a business is a wild, exciting, and invigorating journey that requires a lot on your part. Once you’ve succeeded in establishing a business, the next step is to nurture it and watch it grow. This might require hiring a team of people, or branching out into new markets. Whatever the case, these tips for growing your business will help you along your way.

Run the business you want. While you aren’t going to become the business you want to be over night, you should still run your business as if that were a reality. Evoking the confidence and success of the business you one day hope to have will help you impress current clients, attract new ones, and provide your employees with a sense of poise and purpose. Project your business goals each day to help push your company closer to success.

Maintain your confidence. Even when something unexpected happens or something goes awry regarding your business, it’s important to remain positive. When employees or customers see you panic, it can quickly send them into a panic, causing them to question why they work with you. A business cannot run without mishaps. It is how you choose to handle those mishaps that define how you run your business and what the future holds for it. Remain confident, even when things go wrong. Recognizing your mistakes and learning from them will allow your business to grow.

Separate your bank accounts. Keeping your personal funds in an account separate from your business income will help prevent you from taking from that account. You might think that because it’s your business, the money earned and placed into the company bank account is yours as well. Your business requires money, a resource, to continue to grow. When you take money from that account, you are limiting your business to any potential growth. Your business account should be used for just that – business.

Accept “no” as an answer. You are not going to succeed in every endeavor. Take each day in stride, and try your best to learn from your mistakes. What could you have done better to land that client? How can you communicate your message more clearly next time? A “no” from a potential client or investor allows you to evaluate how you are operating your business currently and see opportunities for growth.

Hire the right people. You may feel like you can handle your business on your own, or maybe even like you complete certain tasks the best, but really that’s not the case. In order for your business to grow, you need to hire and properly train the right people. One of the most positive signs of company growth is the need to hire new people. With the right talent on your team, your business will thrive.

Take a look at your competition. Understanding what your competitors are offering their customers and how they do day-to-day business can help you evaluate how you run your own business. It can also help you see potential areas of growth. Make it a priority to check into your competitors marketing strategies and/or new products every quarter. Knowing your competition is one thing, but looking at how they do business will give you a whole new edge.

Know which risks to take. Taking calculated risks (once you’ve evaluated the outcomes, of course) can help take your business to the next level. Consider all of the factors in any given situation, including threats and opportunities, before you make the decision to move forward.

Remember to always remain passionate about your product or industry. Your drive is what will ultimately make or break the successful growth of your business.

Your landscaping company did well in 2013 and now you’re looking to grow in 2014. If you’re like most small business owners, you started out in the field yourself and have since moved on, or are planning to move on, to managing the day-to-day business of running your company. Liberty Financial Group is here to help you take those next steps. Since winter is a slower season for the landscaping industry, now is the time to start laying out a plan for the future.

Internet and digital technologies have changed the business landscape by empowering consumers more than ever. Consumers no longer need advertisers to speak to them to influence buying decisions. Rather, consumers instantly share recommendations with friends, as well as complete strangers, making the opinion of other consumers the biggest determiner of which products and services consumers buy.

Brands need to work harder to be heard by the empowered consumer who shares information about your business. Liberty Financial Group can help.

Liberty Financial Group, Inc. is an independent, direct commercial equipment lender that provides direct financing and leasing for all types of new and used essential commercial equipment. The dedicated, experienced account managers at Liberty Financial are available to assist you in financing the equipment you need to expand your brand and gain customer share in this competitive environment.

First, lets define “branding”

Unlike marketing, branding is not push, but pull of the customer toward your product or service. It is not “salesy”, but rather is the expression of the essential truth or value of your organization, product, or service. A brand is built from many things and what determines customer loyalty.

Equipping your business with the right equipment can help increase sales, improve efficiency and make a dramatic improvement in your bottom line. Additionally, equipment and technology are extensions of your company’s brand, and therefore play an important role in how your company is perceived by your customers and prospects.

Ask yourself these important questions about how your commercial equipment is impacting your brand:

The transportation industry is one of the most important in the economy because it provides consumers with access to products. A refrigerated trucking company, in particular, specializes in a wide range of items for transport, including frozen foods, medical products, and chemicals. This type of cargo may require special temperature controlled transportation that only a refrigerated trucking company can fulfill.

The first refrigerated trucks came in the form of ice wagons, which used ice cut from special pools or lakes. The first successful ice wagon was used to transport meat in and around Chicago in 1877. A system was developed that enabled the circulation of air through the ice and then the entire wagon to efficiently chill it and was the basis for the success of the Union Stock Yard and the Chicago area slaughterhouses to transport meat throughout the United Sates. Later manufactured ice was used, giving way to other means of cooling, such as dry ice, and later engine-powered refrigerator.

Today’s modern refrigerator truck designed to carry perishable freight at specific temperatures, from simple insulated and ventilated vans (commonly used for transporting fruit), neither of which are fitted with cooling apparatus. Refrigerator trucks can be ice-cooled, equipped with any one of a variety of mechanical refrigeration systems powered by small displacement diesel engines, or utilize carbon dioxide (either as dry ice or in liquid form) as a cooling agent. Most of the long-distance refrigerated transport by semi-trailer trucks.

A business plan for a refrigerated trucking company is similar to the business plan for a standard short- or long-hauler trucking company in that a prospective business owner would need to solicit a private investment, obtain a bank loan or line of credit to start up a new business. A business plan for one should:

One of the many advantages of commercial equipment financing with Liberty Financial Group is the ability to preserve your established borrowing capacity with banks for use with other needs.

You never know what challenges and opportunities tomorrow has in store. The following are some of the most compelling benefits of preserving your business line of credit:

The funds in a business line of credit are often unsecured. Unsecured funds means that you don’t have to use personal property collateral. As such, you don’t have to worry about losing a property in cases when you can’t pay the loan on time.

By using only your personal credit for business activities you are limiting the amount of credit you can obtain and lowering your personal credit score.

Ironically, lenders don’t want to extend credit to those that need it, preferring to see owners before they need the funding. Most small businesses are, at least initially, financed by the personal savings and other assets of the owners and many business owners neglect to take the proper steps before they need the capital to ensure they meet the lending markets requirements necessary to fund growth. A line of credit bridges this gap.

As compared to other types of business loans where you’re given a lump sum of money and pay the interest of the full amount, a line of credit is more flexible. It works more like a credit card in that you only pay for the interest of the amount used.

A line of credit may be open for a longer period of time than regular small business loans. This gives small business owners the advantage of having funds available on a constant basis, without the need to reapply again.

Liberty Financial Group, Inc. works for you – offering many payment programs.You choose the type of loan or lease of your commercial equipment that best fits your needs. You select the length of the loan or lease term. Call us at 800.422.1844 or email at sales@libertyfg.com for more information.

In most cases, the first impression a potential customer gets of your business is that of your outdoor signage. An outdoor sign reveals your business’ brand by presenting it, day in and day out, with words, graphics and symbols that represents “who” your business is.

A sign can be the first impression a would-be customer gets and could determine whether a lasting, and possibly profitable, relationship forms between the business and that customer. Liberty Financial Group, Inc. can help with the financing to obtain this important business feature.

The value of a quality sign presence cannot be overstated: The California Electric Sign Association and the International Sign Association published a two-part study on the results of on-premise sign performance. Part I measured the impact that signage had on sales at each of 162 southern California locations of a fast-food chain. It found that one additional on-premise sign increased annual sales by 4.75%. Part II analyzed seven years of weekly sales data for Pier 1 Imports, a national chain retailer of furniture and gift items. It found that when a new sign was added on a previously blank side of a building, sales increased anywhere between 2.5% and 7.1%.

These results show that signs effectively speak to potential customers, and are the most effective form of advertising for small independent businesses. If you don’t have an effective sign, the advertising money spent on other media is going to waste.

The components of an effective business sign include:

Simplicity – You only have seconds to capture attention. Passers by will more easily remember a sign that is straight to the point, without too much information.

Attention getting – The use of bright and contrasting colors captures attention. Be careful of your choice of color however, as you do not want a color combination that is irritating to the eyes and annoying to the senses.

Busy location – What good is a sign if no one sees it? Choose a placement that has maximum amount of traffic, manages to stand out, and at the same time is part of its surroundings.

Ease of visibility – A good sign can be easily read from a distance. It can also be clearly seen at night and from different angles. Size is not the important factor– visibility is. A huge sign can be a distraction, or just an eyesore that potential customers find irritating.

Pictures – People love pictures, especially those that tell a story. If you have a photo that captures the essence of your advertisement, use it on your outdoor signs as a substitute for text.

Neatness – A good sign must be kept clean and presentable. Remember, the quality of your sign represents the quality of your business. Renovate or replace your sign whenever it begins to look rundown, shabby or unrepresentative of your business.

Liberty Financial Group, Inc. offers the freedom to help your business grow by providing direct financing for essential business needs. Liberty Financial Group has the capability to fund technology equipment (computer hardware and software, telecommunication and office automation), industrial equipment (forklifts, machine tools, woodworking, compressors), as well as services such as signage. For more information, call us at 800.422.1844 or email at sales@libertyfg.com.

Liberty Financial Group, Inc. provides direct business equipment financing and leasing for all types of new and used essential commercial equipment. Although we are known as specialists in the transportation and the construction industries, we also fund technology equipment (computer hardware and software, telecommunication and office automation) that your company needs to grow.

In this rapidly changing technological environment, it is sometime difficult to differentiate between a necessary computer upgrade and one that would be fun and cool, but doesn’t necessarily advance your business goals.

Here are some indicators that it is time to upgrade your computer hardware:

Your business needs have changed.
Although some businesses need a computer system for nothing more than checking e-mail, updating the website or social media communication with the customer base, some businesses require more robust functionality. You may need significantly more memory, a faster processor, or a more sophisticated graphics.
If one component is too weak for your needs, it tends to have a cascade effect that negatively affects the rest of the deck, or may hinder you from pursuing new business objectives, such as moving information to the cloud or going mobile.

The System or Components are No Longer Supported
Companies, such as Microsoft, stops supporting their technology after awhile: including updates, parts of repair, tech support of hardware or software upgrades, etc. Before you know it, functionality decreases. You may find your employees circumventing your software and finding “creative” way to overcome inadequacies, placing your company’s data, customer lists, etc., at risk.

Tasks take longer because everything is running so slow
We’ve all been there—you click a link and it takes so long to open that you forget what you were looking up. You log into e-mail knowing that you have time to grab a cup of coffee before it loads. Speed issues like these are not just a minor inconvenience, but could be a sign that an upgrade (which is not longer being supported) is needed, or because of a hidden part of your system, which is constantly being used by Windows, is corrupt, or that you have a virus.